Heat exchanging device

ABSTRACT

A heat exchanging device includes a fluid distribution/integration part for distributing/integrating fluid flowing in or out; a fluid pipeline plate coupled to the fluid distribution/integration part and in which a fluid pipeline is formed such that at least one pipeline is branched into a plurality of pipelines on the basis of a flow rate per unit area in a plurality of plates, and each of the branched pipelines is re-branched in at least one or more stages on the basis of the flow rate per unit area; and a micro-pipeline plate including a pipeline in a straight direction, which corresponds to each of the pipelines branched in a final step of the fluid pipeline plate in the plurality of plates. The fluid distribution/integration part and the fluid pipeline plate are characterized by being formed symmetrically with respect to the micro-pipeline plate.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates to a heat exchange device, and more particularly, to a heat exchange device that has a significantly reduced heat resistance, and thus is capable of minimizing consumption of energy such as gas or oil and increasing the efficiency of hot water and heating.

BACKGROUND ART

Generally, heat exchange devices are devices which transfer heat from a high-temperature fluid to a low-temperature fluid via a heat exchanger having high thermal conductivity, and are mainly used in products such as air conditioners, boilers, refrigerators, heaters, and the like.

Among these, boilers are devices that generate hot water or high-temperature and high-pressure steam by heating water contained in a sealed container internally or externally, and since hot water or steam generated by a boiler is in a high temperature state, this is used in a variety of fields, such as heating in winter using such high-temperature properties, steam turbines of thermal power stations which use high-pressure properties of generated steam to generate power, and the like.

In particular, the consumption of natural gas having less environmental pollution than other fossil fuels is significantly increasing globally, and thanks to recent extraction of shale gas, the use of heating and hot water, which use natural gas, is expected to increasingly expand.

Currently, heat exchange devices such as domestic and industrial gas boilers for heating or hot water have been widely used, and thanks to the development of condensing technology for recovering and recycling waste heat, the efficiency thereof is also considerably increased by 20% or more. However, due to abnormal weather phenomena caused by global warming, the average temperature in winter is gradually decreasing, and severe cold continues for several days, and thus the consumption of energy resources such as oil, gas, and the like has been further increasing.

Therefore, there is an urgent need to develop a heat exchange device capable of minimizing consumption of energy such as gas, oil, electricity, or the like and increasing the efficiency of hot water and heating.

PRIOR ART DOCUMENT Patent Document

(Patent Document 1) Utility Model Registration Gazette No. 20-0255210 (Registration Date: 12 November, 2001)

DISCLOSURE Technical Problem

Therefore, the present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and it is one object of the present invention to provide a heat exchange device that has a significantly reduced heat resistance, and thus is capable of minimizing consumption of energy such as gas, oil, or electricity and increasing the efficiency of hot water and heating.

Technical Solution

In accordance with one aspect of the present invention, provided is a heat exchange device including: fluid distribution/integration units configured to distribute or integrate a fluid to be introduced or discharged; fluid pipeline plates coupled to the fluid distribution/integration units, and having fluid pipelines formed in a plurality of plates such that at least one pipeline is branched into a plurality pipelines based on a flow rate per unit area, and that each branched pipeline is re-branched in at least one stage based on a flow rate per unit area; and a micro-pipeline plate having pipelines linearly formed in a plurality of plates to correspond to the respective pipelines branched by a final stage of the fluid pipeline plates, wherein the fluid distribution/integration units and the fluid pipeline plates are formed symmetrically with respect to the micro-pipeline plate.

The heat exchange device may further include intermediate pipeline plates having intermediate fluid pipelines formed such that pipelines are formed in a plurality of plates to correspond to the respective pipelines branched by a final stage of the fluid pipeline plates, and that each pipeline is branched into a plurality of pipelines in at least one stage based on a flow rate per unit area. In this case, the micro-pipeline plate has pipelines linearly formed in a plurality of plates to correspond to the respective pipelines branched by a final stage of the intermediate pipeline plates, and the intermediate pipeline plates are formed symmetrically with respect to the micro-pipeline plate.

In this regard, the fluid pipeline plates, the micro-pipeline plate, and the intermediate pipeline plates take the form of a plate in which convex surfaces and concave surfaces are repeated to predetermined depth and width.

In addition, a plurality of ignition points are formed in the micro-pipeline plate or the intermediate pipeline plate on a lower side with respect to the micro-pipeline plate.

In this regard, in the fluid pipeline plates and the intermediate pipeline plates, each pipeline may be branched into a ratio of 1:2 or 1:3.

In addition, circular pipelines may be formed in the fluid pipeline plates by die casting or cutting, and pipelines may be formed in the intermediate pipeline plates and the micro-pipeline plate by etching.

In addition, the fluid pipeline plates, the intermediate pipeline plates, and the micro-pipeline plate may be configured such that two plates with pipelines installed therein are adhered to each other by brazing or soldering.

In addition, the fluid pipeline plates and the intermediate pipeline plates may be configured such that a plurality of layers are coupled to each other according to stages into which each pipeline is branched.

In addition, each of the fluid pipeline plates, the micro-pipeline plate, and the intermediate pipeline plates may be formed as flat plates, the flat plates being coupled to each other, and at least one heating wire may be horizontally installed in the micro-pipeline plate or at a position of the intermediate pipeline plate on a lower side with respect to the micro-pipeline plate.

In addition, the intermediate pipeline plates and the micro-pipeline plate may be integrally formed using a 3D printer.

Advantageous Effects

According to the present invention, thermal resistance of a heat exchange device such as a water heater or a boiler is significantly reduced, and thus consumption of energy such as gas, oil, or electricity can be minimized and the efficiency of hot water and heating can be increased.

In addition, according to the present invention, a pipeline through which a fluid flows is branched into several stages, based on a flow rate per unit area, such that the flow of a fluid from introduction into a heat exchanger to discharge therefrom can smoothly occur.

In addition, according to the present invention, a branched structure of a pipeline and micro-pipelines form a plate structure, thereby facilitating manufacture of a boiler and significantly reducing manufacturing costs.

In addition, according to the present invention, the heat exchange device forms a symmetrical structure with respect to a micro-pipeline plate and has a structure in which a pipeline is branched based on a flow rate per unit area of each of a plurality of pipelines, thereby reducing pressure loss of a fluid flowing in the pipelines, preventing air bubbles from being generated, and preventing the occurrence of an obstacle to the flow of a fluid.

In addition, according to the present invention, a fluid is heated using electricity instead of using fossil fuel via electric heating wires, thereby reducing the use of fossil fuel and heating the fluid within a short time period.

DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a view illustrating an outer case of a heat exchange device according to an embodiment of the present invention, wherein FIG. 1(a) is a perspective view of the outer case, FIG. 1(b) is a plan view of the outer case, and FIG. 1(c) is a side view of the outer case.

FIG. 2 is a schematic view illustrating a structure of the heat exchange device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a schematic view illustrating an example of fluid distribution/integration units of the heat exchange device illustrated in FIG. 2.

FIG. 4 is a schematic view of a fluid pipeline plate of the heat exchange device illustrated in FIG. 2.

FIG. 5 is a schematic view of a micro-pipeline plate of the heat exchange device illustrated in FIG. 2.

FIG. 6 is a schematic view of an intermediate pipeline plate of the heat exchange device illustrated in FIG. 2.

FIG. 7 is a view illustrating an example of installation of ignition points of the intermediate pipeline plate illustrated in FIG. 6.

FIG. 8 is a perspective view of the heat exchange device in which the fluid pipeline plate, the micro-pipeline plate, and the intermediate pipeline plate are coupled to one another.

FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view illustrating an example of pipelines of the heat exchange device illustrated in FIG. 2.

FIG. 10 is a side cross-sectional view of a heat exchange device according to another embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 11 is a plan view of the heat exchange device illustrated in FIG. 10.

BEST MODE

Hereinafter, heat exchange devices according to embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

FIG. 1 is a view illustrating an outer case of a heat exchange device according to an embodiment of the present invention, wherein FIG. 1(a) is a perspective view of the outer case, FIG. 1(b) is a plan view of the outer case, and FIG. 1(c) is a side view of the outer case.

Referring to FIG. 1, the heat exchange device according to an embodiment of the present invention may be installed in the outer case 10 as illustrated in FIG. 1. In this regard, the outer case 10 may have a rectangular parallelepiped form, and may be provided, at upper and lower surfaces thereof, with pipeline holes 12 through which pipelines for introducing and discharging a fluid such as gas, oil, water, or the like pass.

FIG. 2 is a schematic view illustrating a structure of the heat exchange device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 2, the heat exchange device according to an embodiment of the present invention may include fluid distribution/integration units 110, fluid pipeline plates 120, a micro-pipeline plate 130, and intermediate pipeline plates 140.

The fluid distribution/integration units 110 are respectively installed on fluid inlet and fluid outlet sides of the heat exchange device, and are configured to distribute or integrate a fluid to be introduced or discharged. In this regard, as illustrated in FIG. 3, the fluid distribution unit 110 distributes a fluid introduced into the heat exchange device from a primary distributor 112 into a plurality of pipelines 114, and distributes the fluid flowing through each pipeline 114 into a plurality of plate distributors 116.

The fluid integration unit 110 has the same structure as that of the fluid distribution unit 110, and is installed symmetrically with the fluid distribution unit 110, and thus the like reference numeral 110 is given to the fluid distribution/integration units. Here, the fluid integration unit 110 integrates a fluid discharged from the heat exchange device using a plurality of plate integrators 116, and reintegrates the fluid flowing through each plate integrator 116 into the plurality of pipelines 114, and a final integrator 112 integrates the fluid discharged via each pipeline 114 and discharges the fluid to the outside. In the following description, for the description of the fluid integration unit 110, refer to the description of the fluid distribution unit 110.

The fluid pipeline plates 120 are respectively coupled to the fluid distribution/integration units 110, and have fluid pipelines formed in a plurality of plates such that at least one pipeline is branched into a plurality of pipelines on the basis of a flow rate per unit area, and that each branched pipeline is re-branched into at least one stage on the basis of a flow rate per unit area. At this time, as illustrated in FIG. 4, the fluid pipeline plate 120 may take the form of a plate in which convex surfaces and concave surfaces are repeated to predetermined depth and width. In addition, the fluid pipeline plate 120 may be fabricated such that semicircular pipeline grooves are formed at one plate by die casting or cutting, semicircular pipeline grooves are formed at another plate to be opposite to those of the one plate, and then the two plates are adhered to each other by brazing or soldering. In addition, as illustrated in FIG. 4, the fluid pipeline plate 120 may be formed as a plurality of layers according to stages into which a pipeline is branched. That is, fluid introduction holes 125 through which a fluid is introduced from the fluid distribution unit 110 may be vertically formed in the fluid pipeline plate 122 formed as the uppermost layer, and an upper pipeline 126 through which the fluid flowing down through each fluid introduction hole 125 flows and branched introduction holes 126 having a form into which each fluid introduction hole 125 is branched may be vertically formed at an upper end of the fluid pipeline plate 124 formed as the second layer. Such a layer structure may be formed as a plurality of layers according to stages into which pipelines are branched. At this time, each pipeline may be branched into a ratio of 1:2 or 1:3, and the diameter of each branched pipeline may be determined based on a flow rate per unit area of a pipeline before branching. That is, assuming that A pipeline is branched into three B pipelines, a flow rate per unit area may satisfy the condition in Equation 1.

(π/4)×(diameter of A pipeline)²×fluid rate of A pipeline

=3×(π/4)×(diameter of B pipeline)²×fluid rate of B pipeline  [Equation 1]

In this regard, when the flow rate of a pipeline before branching is different from a sum of flow rates of pipelines after branching, the flow of a fluid may be obstructed, and thus a flow rate between the pipelines may be kept constant. Therefore, the diameter of each branched pipeline may be determined based on the flow rate per unit area as in Equation 1.

The micro-pipeline plate 130 has pipelines formed linearly in a plurality of plates to correspond to the respective pipelines branched by the final stage of the fluid pipeline plate 120. That is, as illustrated in FIG. 5, the micro-pipeline plate 130 is formed as a plurality of plates having the same shape as that of the fluid pipeline plate 120, and pipelines 132 are linearly formed inside each plate to correspond to the pipelines branched by the final stage of the fluid pipeline plate 120. At this time, the micro-pipeline plate 130 may be fabricated such that semicircular pipelines are formed by etching in two plates to correspond to each other, and the two plates are then adhered to each other by brazing or soldering. In this regard, the fluid distribution/integration units 110 and the fluid pipeline plates 120 may be formed symmetrically with respect to the micro-pipeline plate 130.

Meanwhile, etching is a technique used to form a desired pattern on a selected portion of a surface of a material by performing a removal process by chemical etching using an acid or other etchants, and is used in manufacturing processes or the like of semiconductor integrated circuits. There are three etching methods such as wet etching, dry etching (plasma etching), and ion milling. Wet etching is a method using an etching solution, and is performed at low cost and has high selectivity, but causes surface contamination and also easily forms a resist undercut. Plasma etching includes a method using neutral plasma and a method using charged plasma. This method significantly reduces the formation of undercut (particularly in the case of charged plasma), but causes reduced selectivity. Lastly, ion milling is a method used to remove a resist using ion beams and has high selectivity and high accuracy, but the operation is slow and this method may be used only for the case of a positive resist (for a negative resist, it is easy to form undercut due to thickness variation).

Brazing or soldering is a technique using brazing to adhere thin metal plates together, is also referred to as hard soldering, and is performed by heating portions to be adhered using brass brazing, silver solder, or the like as an adhesive and melting and adhering the portions. In this regard, the adhesive is called hard solder and hard solder is mainly in the form of a powder or a plate. A hard solder having a lower melting point than that of an adherend is used, and a flux (a solvent) is used to clean adhesion surfaces and boron-based fluxes are mainly used. A complete heating and adhering operation is referred to as furnace brazing.

The intermediate pipeline plate 140 may be installed between the fluid pipeline plate 120 and the micro-pipeline plate 130. Pipelines of the micro-pipeline plate 130 may have a diameter of 1 mm or less to generate a capillary pressure phenomenon, and for this, several stages of branching processes may be needed in consideration of the diameter of pipelines at the uppermost end of the fluid pipeline plate 120.

Here, the capillary pressure phenomenon refers to a phenomenon in which a liquid flows upward in a very narrow, hollow tube, and it was proven by Giovanni Borelli that the height of liquid flowing upward into a tube is inversely proportional to the inner diameter of the tube. Generally, assuming that the diameter of a tube is 0.5 mm, the height of water moving upward is about 50 mm.

The intermediate pipeline plates 140 are formed as a plurality of plates in the same form as that of the fluid pipeline plates 120 and the micro-pipeline plate 130, and intermediate fluid pipelines are formed such that pipelines are formed in each plate to correspond to the respective pipelines branched by the final stage of the fluid pipeline plate 120 and that each pipeline is branched into a plurality of pipelines in at least one stage based on a flow rate per unit area. At this time, the intermediate pipeline plate 140 may be formed such that each pipeline is branched into a ratio of 1:2 or 1:3 by etching, or as illustrated in FIG. 6, a plurality of layers with vertical pipelines formed therein according to branching stages may be coupled to each other. In this case, the shape of each layer is similar to that of a layered structure of the fluid pipeline plate 120, and thus a detailed description thereof will be omitted herein. In addition, like the micro-pipeline plate 130, the intermediate pipeline plate 140 may be fabricated such that thin plates are adhered to each other by brazing or soldering. In addition, the intermediate pipeline plates 140 and the micro-pipeline plate 130 may be integrally formed using a 3D printer. At this time, various known techniques may be applied as a method using a 3D printer, and thus a detailed description thereof will be omitted herein.

Here, the micro-pipeline plate 130 is configured such that pipelines are linearly formed in a plurality of plates to correspond to the respective finally branched pipelines of the intermediate pipeline plate 140, and the intermediate pipeline plates 140 are formed symmetrically with respect to the micro-pipeline plate 130. In this regard, as illustrated in FIG. 7, the intermediate pipeline plate 140 positioned on a lower side with respect to the micro-pipeline plate 130 may include a plurality of ignition points 146 between plates of the lowermost layer 144 of a plurality of layers 142 and 144. Here, the ignition points 146 are configured to increase the temperature of a fluid flowing through pipelines, and may be in an irregular form between plates. In addition, although it is illustrated that the ignition points 146 are formed in the intermediate pipeline plate 140, the ignition points 146 may also be formed between plates at the lowermost end of the micro-pipeline plate 130.

FIG. 8 is a perspective view of the heat exchange device in which the fluid pipeline plate, the micro-pipeline plate, and the intermediate pipeline plate are coupled to one another.

Referring to FIG. 8, the heat exchange device according to an embodiment of the present invention is configured such that each of the fluid pipeline plate 120 and the intermediate pipeline plate 140 is formed as a plurality of plates, and branched pipelines are formed in each plate, thereby forming capillary tubes in the micro-pipeline plate 130.

FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view illustrating an example of the formation of pipelines of the heat exchange device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

As illustrated in FIG. 9, assuming that four pipelines are branched into the ratio of 1:2->1:2->1:3->1:3->1:3, 432 pipelines are formed in the micro-pipeline plate 130. In such a manner, the micro-pipeline plate 130 has capillary tubes having a diameter of 1 mm or less, and may prevent the flow of a fluid from being obstructed.

In the case of general boiler devices, a fluid inside pipes is heated by heat supplied from the outside. At this time, to heat water inside pipes, external heat should be transferred to internal water through the pipes, and in this process, thermal resistance due to the thickness of pipes, thermal resistance due to thermal conductivity of pipes, thermal resistance due to space volume inside pipes, and the like are generated.

In embodiments of the present invention, pipelines having a diameter of 1 mm or less are formed unlike general pipelines having a diameter of about 20 mm, thereby minimizing thermal resistance and instantaneously heating a fluid. That is, in the case of a pipeline having a diameter of 20 mm, the thickness of a wall thereof is about 2 mm and a unit area in which a fluid flows in the pipeline is 0.000314 m². In contrast, in the case of a pipeline having a diameter of 0.5 mm, the thickness of a wall thereof is 0.15 mm and a unit area in which a fluid flows therein is 0.000000196 m². From simple arithmetic calculation, it can be seen that a 13-fold decrease in thermal resistance due to thickness and a 1,600-fold decrease in thermal resistance due to area are exhibited. In other words, this indicates that, when a heat exchanger in a bundle type of a combustor having 0.5 mm-diameter pipelines is heated, almost no thermal resistance is generated. If existing boiler systems produce hot water having a temperature of 100° C. or less by heating at several hundred degrees of Celsius, the heat exchange device according to an embodiment of the present invention may product 90° C. or hotter hot water by heating at a temperature of 100° C. or less.

FIG. 10 is a side cross-sectional view of a heat exchange device according to another embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 11 is a plan view of the heat exchange device illustrated in FIG. 10.

Referring to FIGS. 10 and 11, the heat exchange device according to another embodiment of the present invention may be configured such that, instead of the structure in which the fluid pipeline plates 120, the micro-pipeline plate 130, and the intermediate pipeline plates 140 take the form of a plate in which convex surfaces and concave surfaces are repeated to predetermined depth and width, each plate is formed as flat plates and the flat plates may be coupled to each other. Here, at least one electric heating wire 148 may be horizontally installed in the micro-pipeline plate 130 or at a position of the intermediate pipeline plate 140 on a lower side with respect to the micro-pipeline plate 130. At this time, there is almost no thermal resistance between the electric heating wire 148 and a fluid flowing through micro-pipelines of the micro-pipeline plate 130 or pipelines of the intermediate pipeline plate 140, and thus the fluid may be heated within a short time period. 

1. A heat exchange device comprising: fluid distribution/integration units configured to distribute or integrate a fluid to be introduced or discharged; fluid pipeline plates coupled to the fluid distribution/integration units, and having fluid pipelines formed in a plurality of plates such that at least one pipeline is branched into a plurality pipelines based on a flow rate per unit area, and that each branched pipeline is re-branched in at least one stage based on a flow rate per unit area; intermediate pipeline plates having intermediate fluid pipelines formed such that pipelines are formed in a plurality of plates to correspond to the respective pipelines branched by a final stage of the fluid pipeline plates, and that each pipeline is branched into a plurality of pipelines in at least one stage based on a flow rate per unit area; and a micro-pipeline plate having pipelines linearly formed in a plurality of plates to correspond to the respective pipelines branched by a final stage of the intermediate pipeline plates, wherein the fluid distribution/integration units, the fluid pipeline plates, and the intermediate pipeline plates are formed symmetrically with respect to the micro-pipeline plate.
 2. The heat exchange device of claim 1, wherein the fluid pipeline plates, the micro-pipeline plate, and the intermediate pipeline plates take the form of a plate in which convex surfaces and concave surfaces are repeated to predetermined depth and width.
 3. The heat exchange device of claim 1, wherein a plurality of ignition points are formed in the micro-pipeline plate or the intermediate pipeline plate on a lower side with respect to the micro-pipeline plate.
 4. The heat exchange device of claim 1, wherein, in the fluid pipeline plates and the intermediate pipeline plates, each pipeline is branched into a ratio of 1:2 or 1:3.
 5. The heat exchange device of claim 1, wherein circular pipelines are formed in the fluid pipeline plates by die casting or cutting, and pipelines are formed in the intermediate pipeline plates and the micro-pipeline plate by etching.
 6. The heat exchange device of claim 1, wherein the fluid pipeline plates, the intermediate pipeline plates, and the micro-pipeline plate are configured such that two plates with pipelines installed therein are adhered to each other by brazing or soldering.
 7. The heat exchange device of claim 1, wherein the fluid pipeline plates and the intermediate pipeline plates are configured such that a plurality of layers are coupled to each other according to stages into which each pipeline is branched.
 8. The heat exchange device of claim 1, wherein each of the fluid pipeline plates, the micro-pipeline plate, and the intermediate pipeline plates is formed as flat plates, the flat plates being coupled to each other, and at least one heating wire is horizontally installed in the micro-pipeline plate or at a position of the intermediate pipeline plate on a lower side with respect to the micro-pipeline plate.
 9. The heat exchange device of claim 1, wherein the intermediate pipeline plates and the micro-pipeline plate are integrally formed using a 3D printer. 